Constant leveling device



Nov. 26, 1963 I w ssg -r 3,112,033

CONSTANT LEVELING DEVICE Filed Jan- 25. 1961 United States Patent Ofi ice 7 3,112,033- Patented Nov. 26, 1963 3,112,033 CONSTANT LEVELING DEVICE Harold J. Weissert, 4 Lexington Drive, Belleville, Ill. Filed Jan. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 84,888 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-49) This invention relates to a constant leveling device for a beverage cooler bin or the like.

In its essence, the invention involves a constant leveling device that may be placed within a cooler bin to maintain a constant level of the uppermost beverage containers, regardless of how many such containers are piled within the bin.

While the constant leveling device of the invention may be used in various environments and embodiments, the preferred and specifically intended purpose for the device is with a beverage cooler bin. In this connection, there are two important objects to the invention: to provide a constant leveling device which will retain the beverage containers within a cooler bin within easy reach of the top of the bin regardless of the number of such beverage containers within the bin, and to provide a constant, leveling device for a beverage cooler bin that will maintain the level of the uppermost beverage containers high enough so that it is not necessary to reach more than a short distance through the cooling water for the beverage containers.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a constant leveling device for a beverage cooler bin that is positive in operation and has virtually no opportunity for failure so that breakage of glass beverage containers caused by failure of the constant leveling device is eliminated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a constant leveling device that is constructed of only a few separate parts and is, therefore, quite economical to manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a constant leveling device that may be manufactured as a separate unit for installation into any beverage cooler.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a constant leveling device for a beverage cooler bin that employs anti-friction means to assure continuous operation without binding, even when the loading of beverage containers upon the device is not uniform.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation view of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a partial end elevation view in section taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an end elevation view of the invention showing the position of the constant leveling device under loading conditions.

Referring now to the drawings, the constant leveling device 10' is mounted upon a suitable metal platform 11. Attached to the platform 11 by bolts 12 are a pair of rod mounts 13 having vertical tapped recesses 14. The threaded ends 15 of a pair of rods 16 are secured within the recesses 14.

A carriage 17 is formed with angle iron side members 18 welded to angle iron end members 19. The angle members 18 and 19 define the outer limits of the base of the carriage 17, and there are a pair of plates 20 and 21 welded between the end members 19 to complete the base. There are a pair of end supports 22 and 23, each defined by two slanting bars 24 to the top of which is welded a horizontal cross-bar 25. The end supports 22 and 23 are fastened to the end angle members 19 by rivets, screws or bolts 26:.

A cylindrical guide sleeve 27 is welded to each end angle member 19, and each guide sleeve 27 is positioned so that one of the rods 16 will extend through its center. The internal diameter of the sleeve 27 is considerably greater than the diameter of the rod 16.

A combination bearing seat and spring seat 28 is welded to each horizontal cross member 25 of the end supports 22 and 23. The bearing seats 28 are cup-shaped with a bottom wall '29 having a hole 30 through it to allow passage of the rod 16 thus providing a further pair of sleeves.

There is a ball bearing assembly having an outer race assembly 31 seated within each cup-shaped bearing seat 28. A pin 32 fixes the outer race 31 in position. A plurality of steel balls 33 completes the ball bearing assembly, the steel balls 33 bearing against the rod 16 and being rotatably supported by the outer race assembly 31.

Finally, there are a pair of compression springs 34 seated against the rod supports 13 at their lower ends, and supporting the bottom plates 29 of the bearing seats 28. The compression spring 34 extends through the sleeve 27. The sleeves 27 are freely slidable in a vertical direction without interference from the springs 34.

It can now be appreciated that the number of separate parts required for the construction of the constant leveling device 10 is quite small. In assembling the device, the rod supports 13- are attached to the platform 11 by the bolts 12. The rods 16 are then threaded into the recesses 14, and the compression springs 34 are slid into the rods 16.

The carriage 17 is assembled by welding together the side angle members 18 and the end angle members 19, by welding together the bars '24 and 25 of the end supports 22 and 23, and by attaching the end supports 22 and 23 to the end angle members 19 by the rivets 26. (Screws or bolts might replace the rivets 26.)

The sleeves 27 are welded to the end angle members 19, and the bearing seats 28 are Welded to the horizontal cross bars 25. The ball-bearing assembly is then positioned within the bearing seat 28 with the outer race assembly 31 pressfitted therein, and the pin 32 inserted to assure the retention of the ball-bearing assembly.

Finally, the carriage 17 is slipped onto the rods 16 with the sleeves 27 guided over the springs 34 and the bottom plates 29' of the bearing seats 28 allowed to rest upon the tops of the springs 34. As can be seen in FIG- URE 5, the holes 30' through the bottom plates 29 are large enough to permit the rods 16 to slide freely therethrough, but are too small to permit the passage of the springs 34 through them.

In the operation and use of the automatic leveling device 10, a basket 40 or the like (shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 6) is placed upon the base of the carriage 17 for support by the angle members 18 and 19 and the bars 20' and 21. The basket 40 is then loaded with beverage containers such as glass bottles, and the Weight of the containers causes the carriage 17 to depress the compression springs 34. Therefore, the uppermost containers will be positioned at a certain predetermined level that depends upon the calibration of the springs 34. These springs 34 may be chosen to maintain the level of the uppermost containers at any desired location.

As the bottle containers are removed from the basket 40, the reduced weight within the basket reduces the load opposing the force of the compression springs 34. Consequently, the compression springs 34 raise the carriage 17 by an amount corresponding to the remaining load within the basket 40. The calibration of the springs 34 is such that the level of the uppermost containers will remain constant regardless of the number of such containers that remain within the basket 40'. And the ballbearings 33 provide free vertical movement of the carriage 17 even when there is uneven loading of the basket 40. Furthermore, any substantial tilting of the carriage 17 is prevented by the guide sleeves 27.

- The constant leveling device has particular utility in combination with a beverage cooler bin for holding bottled beverages. In that combination, the entire assembly 10 may be placed within a cooler bin with the platform 11 resting upon the floor of the cooler bin. Because of the action of the constant leveling device 10, the bottled containers are always accessible near the top of the cooler bin so that reaching down to the bottom of the bin is unnecessary. The advantage of the constant leveling device is further appreciated when the cooler bin with which it is used is the type having circulating cold water as a cooling means. The use of the constant leveling device 10 eliminates reaching through the icy water.

Of distinct importance to the invention is the fact that the springs 34 are compression springs rather than tension springs. There is no danger of forcing the springs 34 beyond their elastic limits as might be true of tension springs. There is no danger of breaking the springs 34 as might be true of tension springs, with resulting bottle breakage producing monetary loss and possible personal injury.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the process of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

An automatic levelling device comprising a platform, a first pair of sleeves supported at opposite sides above said platform, a second pair of sleeves spaced from and supported below said first pair with the sleeve openings of the second pair being coaxial with the sleeve openings of the first pair, a carriage supported by said first pair of sleeves above said platform, said second pair of sleeves being supported by said carriage, a pair of rods extending through said coaxial sleeve openings, the lower ends of said rods being mounted on said platform and the upper ends of said rods extending above said first pair of sleeves, and a compression spring surrounding each of said rods, the lower ends of said springs being supported by said platform and the upper ends of said springs hearing against said first pair of sleeves, the first pair of sleeves being formed with spring seat surfaces, the openings of the second pair of sleeves being of a diameter sufiicient to permit free passage of the compression springs therethrough while being limited by the springs and rods against transverse movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,651 Miller Feb. 6, 1906 1,007,972 Ragsdale Nov. 7, 1911 1,967,699 Young July 24, 1934 2,251,873 Gibbs Aug. 4, 1941 2,444,776 Kalning July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 556,486 Italy of 1957 

